Law Practice Today

Lawyers are increasingly taking advantage of technology to keep in touch with the office while they are on the road, to actually create an office on the road, or to maintain a second office at home. One of the reasons this is occurring is the rise of the internet as a means of communication. A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 39% of adults increasingly rely on mobile devices to make themselves available to others. Dozens of new online tools also make it easier than ever to remain connected while traveling, and high-speed wireless access can be found virtually everywhere. In this article, I’ll discuss the tools that will allow you to establish an "office away from the office" -- whether it's at home, on the road, or anywhere around the world.

Hardware

When you are ready to formulate your mobile technology strategy, the place to start is in selecting the right hardware. Your choice in equipment will be driven by your preferences in how you wish to remain connected to others, and what work you must be able to accomplish.

Laptops and Netbooks

Of course, the first piece of hardware to consider is a laptop or netbook computer. If you choose to purchase a laptop or one is assigned by your firm I believe most will get the job done just fine if you stay with a premier brand. I would look for the following minimum specifications in a laptop:

• Monitor -- 15" larger if you want a bigger screen and don't mind the increased weight
• Processor -- core duo or quad core processor with at least 2.33GHz · Memory -- at least 2GB of RAM
• Hard Drive -- at least 160GB, 5400RPM
• Optical Drive -- DVD R/RW -- can read both CDs and DVDs
• Other -- integrated mobile broadband and wireless card
• Operating System -- Windows XP pre- loaded
• Warranty -- 3 year parts/labor on-site

Netbooks

The "netbook" computer is, surprisingly enough, taking the business world by storm. By definition, a netbook is a smaller class of laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet. Because they are smaller, netbooks are less fully featured and lower-powered than their laptop cousins, and as a result are also generally less expensive. However, with law firms struggling in the economy, many are turning to netbooks as alternatives to the traditional business laptop. While it's true that netbook screens and keyboards are too small to get any real work done, a simple docking station can easily solve that problem. Most netbooks average three USB ports, an Ethernet port, and Wi-Fi capability. While a netbook does not come with CD or DVD readers, a detached drive with USB connection can be used to read disks. Here are some of the current top- reviewed units:

• ASUS EeePC 1000HE http://bit.ly/1000he , $400 -- excellent battery life, a new keyboard design, and competitive pricing makes this a favorite of many tech journals.
• Acer Aspire One http://bit.ly/1000he , $320-$350 -- numerous hard drive choices and a new ten - inch screen.
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10 http://bit.ly/ideapad , $369 -- 10" screen, Atom processor, and 160GB hard drive.

Smartphones

Like it or not, these devices are extremely powerful tools, and literally allow you to carry your office in your pocket, or your purse. Here's a brief primer on the smartphones you can expect to find when you visit your local phone store:

• BlackBerry. The ultimate businessperson's phone is more popular than ever, with new and different models for all tastes. BlackBerrys still do email extremely well, but have traditionally lagged behind the iPhone and other phones when it comes to the browser and available applications. The BlackBerry Bold is closing the gap by offering great multimedia performance, more productivity tools, and Wi-Fi and GPS. For those who want an iPhone-esque touchscreen experience without sacrificing superior email service, the new BlackBerry Storm may be for you, although it debuted to extremely mixed reviews. If you yearn for a phone that actually looks and feels like a phone, the BlackBerry Pearl is still a very popular choice. You can select from twelve different flavors of BlackBerry at www.blackberry.com .
• iPhone. Until last year, no one mentioned "iPhone" and "business phone" in the same sentence – but now that the iPhone 3G provides support for Microsoft Exchange, it's definitely a viable candidate for your work phone. With a browser that many claim is second to none, and the thousands of applications that allow you to be more productive or have fun, the iPhone is a terrific choice. Check it out atwww. www.apple.com/iphone .
• Android. The new operating system from Google made a splash in 2008, and so far is on one phone, the G1 from T- Mobile. It offers much of the same functionality as the iPhone, with all of the Google tools tightly integrated. Expect a number of new Android phones to hit the market this year.
• The Others. It seems like the phones listed above are dominating the market right now, but there are plenty of other smartphones, if you are interested in something different. Many people swear by the Windows Mobile operating system, which can be found on phones like the HTC Touch Diamond, and new phones from Nokia like the E71 are also well-regarded. And don't count Palm out yet; the Centro is still a great choice for cost- conscious phone buyers, and the Pre, which is due out in June 2009, may actually be the "iPhone Killer" that people keep talking about.

Portable hard drives

If you are a litigator and plan to carry your case documents, videotape depositions, or other large files around with you, plan on using a portable hard drive to store your information. Although today's laptops typically have sufficient room to hold large files, we do not recommend that you use laptop hard drive space to maintain your whole case file. A secure portable hard drive provides plenty of space as well as rock- solid security, and can be easily connected to the laptop or even someone else's computer if the files need to be accessed or views.

The Seagate FreeAgent Go http://bit.ly/FreeAgentGo is one of the thinnest and lightest hard drives available -- it only weighs 5.6 ounces! It comes in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB models, and the price for each comes to around 48 cents per gigabyte. If security is your goal, check out the Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Drive http://bit.ly/LenovoSecureDrive offers a simple solution -- the casing features atelephone- like keypad on the outside, which allows you to lock and encrypt the hard drive. Up to ten users can be added, which means the drive can be passed from person to person while remaining secure, with each person having separate access to the data. Unfortunately, the Lenovo is currently selling for between 75 cents- 1 dollar per gigabyte.

Scanners

Everyone's going paperless these days, but you cannot lug around one of those big heavy scanners when you travel. Fortunately, a number of vendors sell portable scanners, which make it easy to scan documents, receipts, and other files no matter where you happen to be. The ScanSnap S300 Mobile Scanner http://bit.ly/scansnaps300 is the traveling version of perhaps the most popular scanning product for lawyers -- although it's billed as the smallest scanner in its class, it definitely packs a ton of great features.

Printers

For litigators: You may have been in court, getting ready for closing argument, and you need just one more copy of the jury charge for the court? Rather than rush down the hall looking to feed quarters into a courthouse copier, carry a mobile printer with you; today's printers will print from laptops, smartphones, digital cameras, and phones. Check out the HP OfficeJet H470 http://bit.ly/OfficeJetH470, which is billed as the "world's fastest mobile printer."

Accessories

Wireless Cards

Free Wi-Fi is becoming more common, but I am still tired of paying outrageous rental fees to access a high-speed Internet connection. I purchased a wireless card to obtain anywhere wireless connection. Wireless cards are available from your phone provider – prices range from free, with the purchase of a wireless service contract, to $50-$150 if you do not want to purchase a contract. There are two things to keep in mind when using wireless cards: 1 you won't get blazing fast speeds, so no downloading movies with it; and 2 most wireless providers place a cap on the amount of bandwidth that can be used, usually 5GB per month. However, this should not be a problem unless you actually do plan on downloading movies, or are a heavy Internet user when you're on the road.

Bluetooth Headsets

With more cities and states passing laws requiring the use of hands-free phones while driving, a Bluetooth headset is not only handy, it's a legal requirement. Again, there are dozens of great headsets on the market, so I'll just mention one: the Aliph Jawbone http://us.jawbone.com , $129 offers noise- cancelingtechnology is second to none. It's absolutely the best Bluetooth headset on the market today.

Portable Mice

Although I am comfortable using the touchpad on my laptop, sometimes I need the control of a regular mouse. Rather than lugging around a corded mouse in my bag I use a portable wireless mouse. Just plug in the small USB antenna and your mouse is ready to go. In my experience, the best mice are made by Logitech and Microsoft.

Chargers

Without power, none of the mobile gadgets mentioned in this article will work. But it's a serious hassle bringing charge cords for your laptop, smartphone, iPod, headset, and other devices. Instead of lugging all those cords around, consider an all-in-one charging product -- these devices have a base battery unit, and then offer adapters for nearly every electronic device imaginable. My choice for the best charging product is iGo www.igo.com ; just purchase one adapter which run from $39.99 up to $150, depending on the size adapter, and then power tips for each of the devices you want to charge $10- $20, and you're good to go.

Remote Access, Meetings, and Other Tools for “Everywhere Access”

When you're on the road, you need a way to connect to the office, no matter whether you work at a big firm or your office is at home. You also need some basic tools to conduct business during the day -- hold meetings, draft and review documents, and store and share files with clients and colleagues. In this section we'll discuss some options for remote access, as well as new online tools that make it simple for you to conduct business as if you were behind your desk at the office. To be truly useful, mobile technology should make it possible to access your important data no matter where you happen to be -- "everywhere" access.

Whether you must work with your firm’s document management systems and restrictions on access outside the office or you get to set your own policies all of the tools and services listed below are good choices when you need to get something done while traveling.

Remote Access

Virtual Private Network VPN and Alternatives

If you work for a mid-size or larger firm, chances are you are already using a VPN or similar setup to access your office files. A VPN is essentially a secure, encrypted "tunnel" through the Internet to your office network, which allows for secure transmission of confidential and sensitive data. VPN software is included with Microsoft Windows 2000, XP and Vista operating systems, and your IT staff or consultant can help you configure it.

If you don't have access to a VPN, consider using commercial remote access products like GoToMyPC www.gotomypc.com , LogMeIn www.logmein.com , or Symantec's PCAnywhere http://bit.ly/PCAnywhere . These services provide seamlessand total accessto your office PC from any computer with an Internet connection. You can print documents from your computer, transfer files between the connected computers, and work on your desktop as if you were right in front of your office computer. GoToMyPC and LogMeIn offer subscription services, and all provide extremely secure end -to-end encryption.

Online Document Creation

If you work for a firm or company with a document management system DMS, you no doubt have the means to create and work on documents while you're on the road, typically through a VPN or the DMS program. If you don't have a structure for dealing with documents at work, or if you find the need to create and work on a document with someone else while traveling, consider using one of the great document creation tools now available online such as Google Docs http://docs.google.com, Zoho www.zoho.com and Microsoft Office Live www.officelive.com. The primary benefit of online document creation is convenience and ease of collaboration. With an online document, everyone can work on the document at the same time, and then a single draft can be downloaded in Word, PDF or other formats. I don't recommend that these services be used as permanent storage for your case and other work files, nor do I believe that confidential client information should be kept in an online document repository for an extended period of time. But these services are terrific for collaboration on documents, when you need access from any computer with an Internet connection.

OTHER GOOD TOOLS

Evernote

www.evernote.com, free is a fantastic way to save pieces of the Internet, documents you want to keep, photos you've taken, or just random notes from a meeting or telephone conversation. All the data you store in Evernote is scanned for text, which is then put into an index; so you can literally take a photo of a sign, and Evernote will read the text on the sign so that you can search for it later on. What makes Evernote such a great mobile tool is that you can access your notes from anywhere -- from a stand-alone application, from a web browser, or even from a mobile phone – they all synchronize with each other, so the data is available from all three sources.

Calendars

If you use a smartphone, you probably have your calendar with you wherever you go. If you don't, or if you're looking for a calendar that is accessible wherever you go, try Google Calendar www.google.com/calendar. Although there are a lot of web- based calendars, I prefer Google Calendar because it can sync all of your other calendars with each other. Just install the Google Calendar Sync program a small download on all of your computers, and Google will synchronize your work calendar with an online version at any interval you choose. Yahoo! Calendar www.yahoo.com/calendar also offers sync functionality, but it is not quite as elegant as Google. Another great online calendar is 30 Boxes http://30boxes.com, which allows you to share your schedule with just about anybody, on just about any service.

Online Document/File Storage

Sometimes when you're out of the office, you find yourself needing a file that you didn't bring with you. If you are using an online file storage site, this wouldn’t be a problem; you can access important documents and files anywhere you happen to be. One of my favorite sites is drop.io http://drop.io, which provides 100MB of online storage for free additional space is available for a small fee. The service offers previews of many different file types Word, Excel, PPT, PDF, MP3, JPEG, etc., so you can actually view the documents online -- or in the case of MP3 files, actually listen to them within the browser. For more online file storage choices, check out the Collaboration Tools Directory at http://collaborationtools.pbwiki.com.

Online Meetings

If you're on the road, you probably don't need technology to have a meeting with someone -- chances are you're already seeing those people face-to-face. If, however, you need to bring someone else into a meeting from far away, new on line meeting tools make it easier than ever to hold an instant conference. One of the better new free services is Adobe Connect www.acrobat.com; you can share your screen with up to three people at no cost subscription plans allow for more participants, chat online, and make use of the webcam feature. More advanced and expensive meeting tools are listed, as well as some innovative and less expensive new services, at the Collaboration Tools Directory.

Online Fax

There are some good fax alternatives to try while traveling. eFax www.efax.com , offers a virtual fax service, no matter the size of your firm. You receive a unique fax number that allows you to have your faxes delivered to you by e- mail, and the Pro version even offers voicemail by e- mail. There's a free version, with more features offered from $14.95- $19.95 a month, and higher prices for larger offices. Another recommended service is MaxEmail www.maxemail.com , which offers pretty much the same services for faxes and voicemail. MaxEmail also allows you to send a fax to another person via e- mail, which can be very handy if you’re out of the office.

Skype free -- do you use this free VoIP and instant messaging software on your computer? Now you can make VoIP calls for free on your iPhone, and IM your contacts, too.

WorldMate Live free -- check flight status, book hotels, and share itineraries right from your phone.

Noise -Cancelling Headphones. If you travel on planes a lot, do yourself a favor and buy a pair of noise- cancelling headphones. My favorite is the Bose QuietComfort 3 http://bit.ly/quietcomfort3, $349 -- it' s a bit pricey, but well worth it.